6.30.2016

Note: Copy received in a goodie bag at RT16.Young Adult, FantasyDigital/Print/Audio (497 pages, HENRY HOLT & CO)In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia's life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn't—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love. Author Site:website

Enjoyable and perfectly paced. (4 stars)

The Kiss of Deception has been on my radar for a long time. I saw it on favorites lists of many bloggers that I tend to share taste with but neither the blurb or cover was winning me over. When I saw that a group of said bloggers was doing a read-along this summer I thought it was the perfect time to give it a shot. When I saw the page count I was daunted but soldiered into it and it wound up being so well paced that even though it is a long book, it never felt slow.

The one issue that held me back from quite falling in love with the book was that I never felt connected to any of the characters. I can't put my finger on why I felt like I was at arms length but it may have been the first person narration that alternated between characters. The way the characters spoke felt very focused on the what happened and not often on how they felt about it and those involved. Otherwise it's pretty standard fantasy and there were hints that made me think it's set in our world very far in the future (ie. mention of ribbed flagons left by the ancients that haven't degraded).

Overall, an engrossing read with a very enjoyable blend of fantasy and romantic elements. If you enjoy those I think you'll like it.

6.29.2016

It's always amazing when Jenny Holiday releases another novel, and I couldn't have been more excited to hear that there would be another installment in her amazing 49th Floor series! I'm excited to share with you today, HIS HEART'S REVENGE, Jenny's first foray into m/m romance! I've got all of the details, including a special sneak peek excerpt, so read on and enjoy!

***

About HIS HEART’S REVENGE:

Twenty years ago, I was too smart and too poor to be cool. Now I’m laughing my way to the bank—the bank I’m CEO of. Nothing can touch me.

Except maybe him.

We met at summer camp. We made out under the stars. Then he stabbed me in the back.

They say revenge is a dish best served cold. But I’m gonna go with hot.

Alexander Evangelista is a millionaire with all the trappings: houses all over the world and hot guys lined up whenever he’s in need of some no-strings-attached company. He's on his way to world domination.

A CEO in his own right, Cary Bell is competing for a major client with his boyhood crush. He’s never forgiven himself for betraying Alex. But with his professional reputation on the line, he’s going to have to find his inner cutthroat if he wants his new company to succeed.

Alex isn’t about to let his nemesis steal a client out from under him. It’s time to break Cary’s company—and his heart.

Excerpt from HIS HEART'S REVENGE:

Ready to make his thoughts on the matter known, Alexander swung open the door.

And was blindsided by Cary Bell, leaning against the wall in the small vestibule between Alexander’s elevator and his front door in jeans and a black leather jacket, looking like fucking James Dean paying a house call.

They stared at each other for several seconds, before Cary pushed off the wall and came to stand at his full height, which put him exactly eye to eye with Alexander. After another few moments of silence, Alexander’s dick stirred, which made him angry as hell.

They both spoke at the same time, Alexander saying, “How did you get up here?” and Cary saying, “I came to apologize.”

The simultaneous attempt at speaking sent them both back into silence. But it wasn’t truly silence. Alexander could hear his blood pounding and Cary’s rapid breathing. Apologize? That was the last thing in the world Alexander had expected, and it had him reeling. A glance at the other man’s chest confirmed that he was as unsettled as Alexander. He lifted his eyes to Cary’s face, only to find that his midnight visitor was checking him out, and not very subtly. Alexander, who was wearing only his underwear, straightened his spine. He might have been scrawnier than Cary the athlete back at camp, but he’d bet next quarter’s returns that with his disciplined jujitsu and lifting routine of the past two decades, he’d caught up.
He watched Cary’s eyes slide over his boxers. There was no mistaking what was going on there because the partial erection he’d been battling since he’d left Cary at Liu’s house had escalated to the full meal deal. He was tempted to say that Cary had woken him up, but he bit his tongue. He didn’t need an excuse. He was a allowed to have a boner in his own house, for fuck’s sake.

Slowly, so slowly, his gaze feeling so much like a physical caress that the skin on Alexander’s chest started to prickle, Cary raised his eyes to meet Alexander’s. Alexander had been expecting one of his nemesis’s trademark smirks, raised eyebrows that suggested bemusement, since that seemed to be Cary’s attitude toward everything. He expected him to somehow twist the apology into a prank. But no. All he saw in those eyes was heat. Those blue-gray irises were usually the epitome of cool. But not now. No, right now they were nearly subsumed by dilated pupils the color of night.

Alexander tried to think what came next, but his brain was full of tar, even as his limbs were on high alert and his senses heightened.

Cary shook his head, as if to clear it. It had the effect of wiping that dazed expression off his face. Alexander could swear he saw the heat leaving Cary’s expression. One corner of his visitor’s mouth turned up. No. He didn’t want that fucking holier-than-thou, punk-ass smirk. Not here. Not while he was standing in the doorway of his condo in his underwear, harder than steel.

Cary unzipped his leather jacket, revealing a worn white T-shirt. Alexander had forgotten how well Cary did casual. Then Cary shoved his hands in his jean pockets, perfecting his Rebel Without a Cause look. Alexander lifted his gaze back up to Cary’s face. The proto-smirk was a little more advanced, as if it were emerging in slow motion. Again, the thought that filled his head was, simply, no.

He grabbed the jacket, the slide of the old, soft leather over his fingers torture for his over-tuned senses. He wasn’t sure if relief lay in feeling less or feeling more. But he didn’t care, because his only mission was to stop that fucking smirk in its tracks.

So he yanked, hard, crashing his mouth down on Cary’s and swallowing his visitor’s gasp of shock.

***

About Jenny Holiday:

Jenny Holiday started writing at age nine when her fourth grade teacher gave her a notebook and told her to start writing stories. That first batch featured mass murderers on the loose, alien invasions, and hauntings. From then on, she was always writing, often in her diary, where she liked to decorate declarations of existential angst with nail polish teardrops. Later, she channeled her penchant for scribbling into a more useful format, picking up a PhD in geography and then working in PR. Eventually, she figured out that happy endings were more fun than alien invasions. You can follow her on twitter at @jennyholi or visit her on the web at jennyholiday.com.

6.28.2016

I am so excited to share the awesome cover for 100 HOURS, the first book in a new trilogy by New York Times best-selling author Rachel Vincent, which
releases on March 28, 2017 from Katherine Tegen Books, along with a note from the author about her upcoming novel and an amazing giveaway.

Scroll down to take check out the gorgeous cover, read what Rachel Vincent has to say about 100 HOURS, and enter for a chance to win. And be sure to share your thoughts about the cover in the comments!

The Cover Revealed

Maddie is beyond done with her cousin Genesis’s entitled and shallow entourage. Genesis is so over Miami’s predictable social scene with its velvet ropes, petty power plays, and backstabbing boyfriends.

While Maddie craves family time for spring break, Genesis seeks novelty—like a last-minute getaway to an untouched beach in Colombia. And when Genesis wants something, it happens.

But paradise has its price. Dragged from their tents under the cover of dark, Genesis, Maddie, and their friends are kidnapped and held for ransom deep inside the jungle—with no diva left behind. It all feels so random to everyone except Genesis. She knows they were targeted for a reason. And that reason is her.

Now, as the hours count down, only one thing’s for certain: If the Miami hostages can’t set aside their personal problems, no one will make
it out alive.

A Note from Rachel Vincent

In my upcoming YA suspense 100 HOURS, Genesis and her cousin Maddie come from opposite ends of the privilege spectrum, but when they wind up kidnapped for ransom during spring break in Colombia and have no one else to count on, they discover they have more in common than either of them thought.

If you’ve read any of my previous releases, 100 HOURS probably seems like a departure for a Rachel Vincent book. And that’s what I thought, back when it was just me and an idea. But as I wrote the story and got to know the characters, I realized that even though this book is set in the Colombian jungle and these characters have no supernatural abilities, 100 HOURS is very much a book about the themes that draw me in over and over. Survival. Family friction and loyalty. High-stakes pulse-racing action. Twists, turns, secrets, and revelations. Girls who can fend for themselves—and for anyone else who needs help.

About Rachel Vincent

Photo credit: Kim Haynes Photography

Rachel Vincent is a former English teacher and an eager champion of the Oxford comma. She shares her home in Oklahoma with two cats, two teenagers, and her husband, who’s been her # 1 fan from the start. Rachel is older than she looks and younger than she feels, and she remains convinced that writing about the things that scare her is the cheapest form of therapy—but social media is a close second.

It’s been two years since I tried to overthrow Death…Now, all I have to show for it is a life in exile without my lover and personal Grim Reaper, Brent Hume. He bargained his soul for my safety. If I could get him back, I would, but I don't don't have the first idea how. So I live for the night when Reaper’s bring nightmares to the living—and Brent visits me in mine. Doesn’t make for a good night’s sleep, but I’ll take what little of him I can get.When Death comes calling, sending me into an old foe’s camp as a spy, my inner rebel awakens once more. If I play my cards right, I might improve upon my growing Master Scrivener powers and finally free Brent so that we can be together for good. I know he’ll do anything to keep me safe—even if it means I’ll never see him again. And that scares the Hell out of me.

“I liked that dress on you. Sorry it’s ruined,” Brent said as I tossed the hippie frock aside and slipped into a pair of jeans.

The numbing elation of sex had faded. My body hurt like a bus had slammed it.

“As dresses go, I liked it, too.” I reached for the only clean shirt I had left: a black tank top. Just as I was about to pull it on, Brent moved with fast-as-light speed and tossed an arm around my waist. He laid his fingers over the scar from Gabriel’s attack.

I melted into his closeness, wishing he’d never let me leave the cage of his arms. “Gabriel attacked me. You would’ve been proud though. I still ran a half a mile before I realized what had happened.”

Brent’s attention was locked on the scar. It matched the scar on my rib cage where Nicholas Baird had attacked me two years ago. I was beginning to look like a pied animal.

Was it white with pink spots or pink with white spots? One of these days, I would own this evolving look. For now, I felt a little self-conscious.

“I should’ve been here to protect you from them,” he said.

“Doesn’t matter.” I put my hands to his bare chest, the muscle beneath unyielding to my touch. “Errol said something strange last night about Marin. It scares me.”

His hand traveled down the scar and cupped my breast as I breathed with relief. A gentle squeeze reignited feelings in me that would take a lifetime to satisfy. Everything was so fresh that even his hand on my skin forced my knees to buckle. Thank Hades his clutch on my waist was so tenacious.

His lips covered mine before I could tell Brent that Errol, and now I, too, were worried that Marin was actually a Scrivener. Brent didn’t care about what he didn’t know, as his tongue passed over the bridge of my teeth and then between them just as ardently it had as moments ago. This time, I put my arms around his neck to maintain stability.

“We should get downstairs,” I said between kisses.

He backed me into the vanity table and twirled me around to face it. Bent forward, I balanced on my hands as I watched Brent in the mirror, just as naked as before, the muscles of his abdomen flexed. His erection pressed against my jeans.

“I’m not done with you yet, darlin’.”

About the author:

Abigail Baker shares her home with a Siamese cat endearingly named "The Other Cat" and two rescued mutts with mundane human names that people think are cute. In addition to writing about rebellious heroines, she enjoys hiking, discovering craft beers, baking the perfect vanilla bean cupcake, and rock climbing (going as far as scaling 800 vertical feet to the summit of Devil's Tower National Monument in 2013.). Abigail won first place in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer's 2010 Colorado Gold Writing Contest for Romance for THE BLOODSUCKER and first place in RWA's Golden Network's 2011 Golden Pen in Paranormal Romance for TATTOO OF YOUR NAME ACROSS MY SOUL (now THE REAPER'S KISS, Deathmark Book One). She regularly blogs about life observances, lives at the base of the Rocky Mountains, and can be easily found hiking any of Colorado's best trails.

Isolated and alone, Sin Evernight is one of the most powerful supernatural creatures in heaven and on earth. As an angel of vengeance, he hunts down the darkest evil, but when his long-lost friend, Layla Starling, needs him, he vows to become her protector. Even though she will be horrified by the man he has become.

Now a famous singer and the toast of London, Layla believes that Sin is only here to guard her from rabid fans and ardent suitors. However, the truth is far more sinister. Desperate to avoid losing Layla a second time, Sin will face a test of all his powers to defeat an unstoppable foe—and win an eternity with the woman he loves.

Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she’d rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer’s Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine’s Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal , best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher’s Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Release Day Launch for Laura Kaye's HARD TO SERVE! Brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights, HARD TO SERVE is a standalone novella in her Hard Ink Series that also introduces her upcoming Blasphemy Series. Check out the note and excerpt from Laura below and grab your copy of this steamy novella today!

So many readers asked for more stories in my bestselling Hard Ink series, and I’m so excited to be able to give you just that in my new, super sexy HARD TO SERVE! HARD TO SERVE is an edgy stand-alone love story about a Baltimore police detective whose red-hot BDSM relationship with a new submissive seems like the perfect distraction from a trumped-up investigation against him until he learns that the woman is his boss’s daughter. Talk about sparks flying! I had so much fun writing this book, and I can’t wait for everyone to read it! And if you enjoy it, you might like to check out the whole Hard Ink series, now complete! Happy reading!

Excerpt:

Mia found herself alone with a kinda pissed-off looking Master Kyler. He wore angry well. As in, the harshness of the set of his jaw and the tight press of his lips and the narrow cut of his eyes—they were all hot, especially coming from a Dom. But she didn’t understand it.

“Um. Hello, Sir,” she finally said when he didn’t say anything.

“Mia,” he said, his gaze raking over her. “You look absolutely stunning tonight.” His voice was like gravel, rough and strained.

“Thank you. Are you okay, Sir?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t…I don’t know.”

“Do you want to sit and talk?” Mia asked, concern for him flooding her.

Born with the ability to see spirits, immortal Yuri Sokolov avoids making contact with them, because such has always yielded negative results...until lovely Cat Seddon begins haunting his home and his dreams. As a new threat rises against the Immortal Guardians, Yuri disregards all the rules so he can be with Cat, even though the consequences are substantial.

For centuries, Catherine Seddon has been alone. When her brother is forced to join the Immortal Guardians’ ranks, she haunts the primary home of the powerful warriors to keep an eye on him, and soon finds herself captivated by Yuri. The handsome Russian immortal swiftly banishes her loneliness as friendship grows between them and deepens into love. But can two people who are unable to touch find a future together?

6.27.2016

For the Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfeund is on sale! Grab your copy today for 1.99!
To celebrate the sale, Diana is sharing an excerpt with us as well as a giveaway!

Fans of Divergent will love Diana Peterfreund’s take on Jane Austen’s Persuasion set in a post-apocalyptic world.

In the dystopian future of For Darkness Shows the Stars, a genetic experiment has devastated humanity. In the aftermath, a new class system placed anti-technology Luddites in absolute power over vast estates—and any survivors living there.

Elliot North is a dutiful Luddite and a dutiful daughter who runs her father’s estate. When the boy she loved, Kai, a servant, asked her to run away with him four years ago, she refused, although it broke her heart.

Now Kai is back. And while Elliot longs for a second chance with her first love, she knows it could mean betraying everything she’s been raised to believe is right.

For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking YA romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

Dear Kai,
The sun is probably streaming in through the big barn windows now, which means you’re awake. And if you’re awake, it means you’re wondering where I went.
I haven’t run away from you, I promise. But I knew that today of all days, they’d need me in the house. Tatiana may be the head of our household now, but she’s not the one the staff will look to in my mother’s absence. And there is so much to do to prepare for the funeral. Also, I have to go tell my grandfather what had happened to his daughter. I don’t want him to hear of her death from anyone but me.
Thank you for last night. I wish I could say I don’t know why you are the one I ran to—you, Kai, not Tatiana or my father or even my grandfather. But I know why. And I have a confession to make.

I so much miss being the publicist for Embrace guys! Both Marnee and Cole are amazing to work with and I have been dying for these two titles to release. I got a sneak peek at Seared on My Soul and it was sooo good and if you read Altered you'll know why getting Avenged on release day is a MUST. I'm picking my copies up today... if you are too leave a comment and tell me which one you bought!

Seared on My Soul by Cole Gibsen

She’s so young, so full of life…

I couldn’t let her die…

Even if she made the world’s worst coffee.

Emily Garrett never asked to be rescued, let alone by a walking JCrew ad whose idea of fun is probably managing his stock portfolio and watching the nightly news. Then again, she never thought she would wind upside-down in a ditch after a night having a little too much fun.

Reece Montgomery never planned on being anyone’s hero, especially the foul-mouthed, bleach-blonde barista from the local coffee shop. He thinks there’s more to Emily than her tattoos, and lip ring, but getting close means letting her into his past and meeting his ghosts.

And he’s not sure she’s ready for that battlefield.

Avenged by Marnee Blake

Three terrifying months.

That’s how long Kitty Laughton has been at the mercy of the scientist who experimented on her town, killing over a dozen people and giving the rest of them unique powers. But Kitty doesn’t feel powerful, especially when she learns the crazy man plans to test his research on more unsuspecting people. She refuses to let anyone else die, but trapped with no one to help her she’s out of options…that is until sexy and exasperating Nick Degrassi arrives.

Special-ops soldier Nick blames himself for Kitty’s capture, and he’ll do whatever he can to free the quiet beauty, but close quarters and a shared secret bring an attraction that neither of them expected. With the organization that started it all making mercenaries for hire, Nick and Kitty must save themselves and stop a madman…before it’s too late.

6.24.2016

It took me a long time to be ready to read the book I'm working on this weekend...Everyone was buzzing about it when it came out a year ago and on some level I was equally eager to read it. But the difference between everyone (well, most of everyone, as far as I can tell) who was talking about it and myself... most of them have no idea what it's like to actually live in the world portrayed in it. It's no different than reading a historical novel about a place and time they can never visit or a fantasy world. It's frightening but foreign. Thought-provoking but far-away. Shocking but embellished beyond belief.

One of the reviews on Amazon called it exaggerated but it kills me to be the one to say loudly that it is not. Because from the ages of 13-19 I was raised in a Christian group very similar to what's portrayed in Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu. In fact, the group I was raised in was even more strict and patriarchal than Rachel's.

As I've read every page has been difficult. Not only does it bring painful memories rushing back, it also brings back the ludicrous fears that were hammered into me for those years. Things I struggle to talk to my therapist about they're so silly. Sure, my logical, rational mind knows they're foolish fears. But like weeds that refuse to die, the roots and seeds of those fears always find a way to show up when I least want them.

And it's making reading Devoted a very hard thing. Because it makes me want to cry and cry and cry for the girl I was. I see a lot of her in Rachel and (though I'm only about 25% in) Lauren too. Some of what makes it difficult is how it reminds me of people whom I loved and will always have conflicted feelings over. Friends I can't bear to reconnect with. Even my own parents.

Very few people know about that part of my life because it's hard to talk about and if you've read Devoted I'm sure you can imagine why. Much like Lauren, I was a problematic girl. I didn't want to have children and I wanted to have a career. Two things that weren't okay. I got in trouble much like Rachel did with her copy of A Wrinkle in Time but I had found a copy of The Handmaid's Tale and got in trouble for trying to read it in secret.Eventually, I hope that I won't feel so negative looking back on those formative years. Not feel burdened with decades old shame, fear, and core deep anger. Maybe reading Devoted will help me work through some of those emotions, rub some balm on the emotional scars. Overcome the secret of what it's like to live every day utterly conflicted about the choices I made to get away from the spirit crushing misogyny and zealotry.

I'm not sure I'm going to be able to review it because it hits so very close to home. But we shall see once I get it finished.

Has there been a book that was hard for you to read because it hit too close to home?

6.21.2016

Love doesn’t always play by the rules in these twelve sexy HEARTBREAKERS AND HEROES stories about a brotherhood of men bound together by their troubled youth and the mentor who taught them the rules for becoming men of honor. These all new romances from USA Today bestsellers and your favorite contemporary authors are guaranteed to get your heart pounding.

Purchase this summer’s must read collection of swoon worthy heroes and the ladies who love them TODAY for just $0.99 through the following booksellers:

6.19.2016

Notes: ARC received via NetGalley.Young Adult, Seasonal, RomanceDigital/Print/Audio (400 pages, ST. MARTIN'S)Maybe it's the long, lazy days, or maybe it's the heat making everyone a little bit crazy. Whatever the reason, summer is the perfect time for love to bloom.Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories, written by twelve bestselling young adult writers and edited by the international bestselling Stephanie Perkins, will have you dreaming of sunset strolls by the lake. So set out your beach chair and grab your sunglasses. You have twelve reasons this summer to soak up the sun and fall in love.Didn't feel like summer love stories to me... (2 stars)

After delighting in the My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories anthology so much I couldn't wait to see what could be done with summer. I'm devastated that this was so intensely awful. The stories were generally so... off topic might be the right phrasing... that I had a hard time making myself read it. I'd get so bored I'd put it down and then struggle to pick it back up. That these are such notable and well received authors made it really disappointing. The only stories I actually really enjoyed at all were The End of Love, Brand New Attraction, and Souvenirs. The rest were either meh, utterly forgettable, or so bad I had to skim.

The big issue I had with a lot of the stories was that they were about new adult aged characters, not young adult characters and/or they were very unromantic. I was especially disappointed that Libba Bray's story didn't work for me as I usually love her work.

I hate to say it but I just can't recommend this one unless maybe you're borrowing it from the library. I don't feel like these are good examples of many of these authors' work but also, too few of them had felt like they fit the anthology's theme. I went in expecting summer romances between teens and got something completely different.

Ava Green has made a name for herself in the real estate world by reconditioning old, historical homes with her partner and friend Jeff. But her newest project, a three-story Victorian in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, promises to be her biggest moneymaker yet. And one she’s undertaking on her own. During her first walk-through of the house, however, she discovers a locked door, and a skeleton key that seems to appear out of nowhere. Unlocking the door, she is transported to a mystical world of fae and mythickal creatures and meets the King of the Morna. The sovereign of the Dark Elves.King Finn Sylcan has searched for the one who can bring the magick back to his world, Edra, for eons. An old prophecy told of a female of both Dark and Light elven descent, a hybrid both Calim and Morna. It is said she is the only one who can repair the damage the war between the Dark and Light kingdoms caused. But after searching for so long, Finn never dreamed that she’d just show up outside his palace walls. Or that she’d be his mate.

In 2008, Lia Davis ventured into the world of writing and publishing and never looked back. She has published more than twenty books, including the bestselling A Tiger’s Claim, book one in her fan favorite Ashwood Falls series. Her novels feature compassionate yet strong alpha heroes who know how to please their women and her leading ladies are each strong in their own way. No matter what obstacle she throws at them, they come out better in the end.
While writing was initially a way escape from real world drama, Lia now makes her living creating worlds filled with magic, mystery, romance, and adventure so that others can leave real life behind for a few hours at a time.
Lia’s favorite things are spending time with family, traveling, reading, writing, chocolate, coffee, nature and hanging out with her kitties. . She and her family live in Northeast Florida battling hurricanes and very humid summers, but it’s her home and she loves it! Sign up for her newsletter, become a member of her fan club, and follow her on Twitter @NovelsByLia.

6.15.2016

Three hundred years after a great war shattered the Council of Races, the warriors of Rüddan have all but eradicated their cousins, the faerie Aethel. In so doing, they decimated the Dryht sages and enslaved mortal Humanity. Now a voice rises above the chaos and calls her people to rebel. Young Sabine, one of the Human slaves, must learn to overcome centuries of lies and prejudice to forge an alliance between four enemy races. But what chance does she stand to overthrow the Rüddan with her dangerous secret, a secret that threatens not only her own life but the existence of all the races on the planet?

Excerpt

Wiping a tear from her cheek, Sabine stood on tiptoe again. Three guards surrounded Mariel now, shearing away jagged clumps of her long black hair while the captain moved to the front of the dais. “Mariel Brockselle has been tried and found guilty of magic use and conspiring with the Dryht. For these treasons, she is hereby sentenced to death by the Empress of all Kirin Roh. Let this be an example to any who would emulate her.”“Treason and magic use are easy to claim,” Sabine muttered under her breath, “and almost impossible to disprove. I wonder what she really did.”

Lauricia Matuska has taught high school literature and creative writing classes for more than ten years. She first discovered the realm of fantasy by traveling with Lucy through the wardrobe to Narnia. Since then, she has established dual-residency between that world and this one, and she currently serves as an ambassador to contemporary youth and young adults. The Healer’s Rune is the first novel in her Ceryn Roh trilogy.

June 9th: a night to love or a night to hate? A night to embrace or a night to erase? College freshman, Lacey Shyver, has no clue. Growing up with a neuromuscular disease, Lacey knows people only pretend to be nice—pity her, really, for looking different. That is, until graduating senior, Blake Nivey, enters her life. Breaking down her walls and lifting her spirits with just one touch, he’s not like the others. He cares about her well-being and makes her laugh. He unlocks something within Lacey that captures her soul, yet Lacey’s internal struggles surface. Is she just a charity case for him? Blake can’t possibly like someone with limited mobility when there are prettier girls wrapping their arms around him. Or can he? Just as Lacey begins to see where Blake’s heart truly lies with her, everything changes. Because once June 9th begins, it never ends.

When I was nine years-old, I was sure I’d be a math teacher. That lasted until I got to middle school, where I realized that that wasn’t in the numbers for me. From there, I fantasized about being an actress. That lasted until high school, where I realized that sticking to a script wasn’t my thing—I wanted to take the characters on their own journeys and adventures. But somewhere between high school and the days of college graduation, I got lost in the pressures of reality. It wasn’t until I took a step back to evaluate my life when I realized I wanted to embrace my true self. To go back to the days of a six year-old kid who hid under a desk, writing about life in a little blue and pink journal. I couldn’t believe it took me so long to fall back into my happy place. Yet, I wouldn’t have had it any other way, because if after twenty years of exploring life, I still ached to create stories, then it must had been true love.

Giveaway

Pre- Order JUNE 9TH and be entered to win $25.00 Starbucks gift card + a tote bag filled with everything you need for summer reading!Must be 13+ To enter, open to US residents only.

6.10.2016

I'm in a nostalgic mood today. I was going to write about a few of the reasons why but I recently looked at my page views on posts and noticed a sad fact... Weekend Reading is one of my lowest viewed posts every week. Consistently. And yet it's my favorite. I look forward to it every week because it's my chance to just be random. So today is a test. To see if maybe length is the issue...?What's on your agenda this weekend? I'm actually undecided on my reading, one of my reads that I really anticipated has been really bad so far. To the point I've been skimming which is a really bad sign of a potential DNF. Darn. I don't DNF often but when I do it's because I've decided the book is no longer worth giving time I could use to read something else. So wait and see I guess.

And if you made it this far please leave a comment telling me what you're reading this weekend! -- Rhi

Bull rider Adam Meyer put Devil’s Falls in his rearview mirror years ago and hasn’t stopped running since. Now he’s back—temporarily, if he has any say about it. Restless, he finds himself kissing the sexiest girl in town…and agreeing to be the fake boyfriend in her little revenge scheme.Jules Rodrigez isn’t interested in the role of town spinster. Being seen with a hell raiser like Adam is the perfect way to scandalize the residents, make her ex jealous, and prove she’s a sexy, desirable woman. And if their plan includes ridiculously hot sex—in public, of course—all the better.But this thing between them has an expiration date. Putting down roots isn’t in Adam’s blood, and Jules’s roots in Devil’s Falls are bedrock deep. He’ll leave, even if it rips out his heart. But this time, he’s not sure he’ll survive it…

“That’s really sweet, Grant. It was great seeing you, but my boyfriend is waiting for me.”
He frowned. “Boyfriend?”
“Oh, yeah, it’s a new thing. We haven’t exactly gone public with it—you know how Devil’s Falls can be—so you wouldn’t have heard.” She gave him a pat on his arm. “It was nice seeing you. So great. Really, we’ll have to catch up sometime soon.” And then she stepped around him, dragging Aubry behind her.
“What are you doing?” Aubry whispered.
“Winging it.” She stopped by the trio of men, all too aware of Grant watching her. “Hi, Daniel. Quinn. Adam.” They raised their beers.
Daniel looked over her shoulder with a frown. “Is that your piece-of-shit ex-boyfriend I see?”
“The very one.” She disentangled her arm from Aubry’s. “Speaking of, I need a favor.”
“Anything for you, kid.”She tried not to roll her eyes at him calling her kid. He was a whole seven years older than her. Not exactly ancient. “Actually, it’s not you I need the favor from.” Before she could talk herself out of it, she sidled up to Adam and put her arms around his neck. To his credit, he didn’t shove her on her butt in the dirt, merely raising his eyebrows. Jules kept her voice low so there was no chance of Grant overhearing. “So as you’ve noticed, my ex is watching me really closely right now, and I might have told him a tiny white lie about me dating someone in order to avoid a devastating dose of humiliation. And since I can’t date Daniel and no one would ever believe I’d date Quinn—”
The man in question frowned. “You really know how to hit a man where it hurts, Jules.”
“—that leaves you.”
Adam’s face remained impassive. “I see.”
There wasn’t a whole lot to work with in those words, but he also had let his free hand drift down to settle on her hip, so she just kept talking. “If you could just play along and maybe kiss me like you want to do filthy things to me in the bed of your truck, I’d really appreciate it.”
If anything, his eyebrows rose higher. “That guy really got under your skin, didn’t he?”

“You have no idea.” Next to them, Daniel made a sound suspiciously like a growl, but neither of them looked over. Adam’s hand pulsed on her hip, the heat of it shocking despite the warmth of the night. His calluses dragged over the sensitive skin bared by her T-shirt, and she shivered. Maybe this was a terrible idea. She didn’t have time to really reconsider, though, because he set down his beer, cupped the back of her neck, and dealt her the single most devastating kiss of her life.
No, not a kiss.He took possession of her mouth, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips and then delving inside. He tasted of beer and something darker, something that hinted at exactly what she’d asked for—like he wanted to do filthy things to her in the bed of his truck. She closed her eyes, giving his tongue a tentative stroke, and had to fight down a moan at the way the move made her entire body go tight. More.
He lifted his head, breaking the kiss and slamming her back into the real world. She blinked up at him, all too aware of her body pressed against the entirety of his, of how he was hard in all the places she was soft, of how goddamn good he smelled. “Wow.”
There went that eyebrow again. “You think it was believable?”

The Foolproof Love series continues…

Fool Me Once August 1, 2016

Aubry Kaiser doesn’t like people—actually, that’s not right. She loathes people. Combine that with her crippling anxiety around crowds and she’s in a mess when she gets an exclusive invitation to play a demo of her favorite video game, Deathmatch…which will be held at a convention with five thousand other people. The only solution? Bring someone else with her to the con to act as a shield—and unfortunately the only person available is the one man she can’t stand. Quinn.

Quinn Baldwyn is in a mess of his own. He’s been dodging his family’s matchmaking attempts for years, but with his sister’s wedding on the horizon, he’s in need of a shield of his own. Who better to drive off any potential marriage-seeking women than the fire-breathing dragon known as Aubry?

Things start to go sideways almost immediately when Quinn’s truck breaks down, forcing them to spend a seriously hot night in a B&B. They might barely be able to hold down a civil conversation, but in bed those fireworks are only the good kind. The closer they get to Napa Valley and Quinn’s sister’s wedding, the more he realizes that he might actually…like Aubry. But can two polar opposite people from completely different worlds ever really connect outside of mind-blowing orgasms?

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. She found romance novels at age twelve and it changed her life. When not writing sexy contemporary and speculative fiction romance novels, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her wee ones, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. Connect with Katee at: Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Instagram | Youtube

6.08.2016

The stakes are high in LOVEGAME, when a movie star with a shattered past meets a man who can either break her or make her whole. USA Today and New York Times bestselling author, Tracy Wolff, returns with a novel full of seduction and desire. Fans of Tiffany Reisz’ The Siren or Lauren Dane’s Laid Bare will fall in love with Ian and Veronica, a true crime novelist and movie star, who steam up the pages in LOVEGAME.

True Crime novelist Ian Sharpe has spent his career writing about serial killers for very personal reasons. For his latest exposé, he is taking on the sadistic madman known as the Red Ribbon Strangler, and when his research leads him to Hollywood’s most private and provocative actress, he will break every rule to uncover her truth.

The daughter of one of Hollywood’s golden couples, chased by paparazzi and treated as a commodity her entire life, Veronica Romero wields her sex appeal like a weapon. She expects Ian to be as easy to control as every other man she’s ever known. But from the beginning, he refuses to fall into line. Mysterious and cool, challenging and just a little bit dangerous, Ian somehow makes her feel safe—even as he digs into the deepest secrets of her life and pushes her to the breaking point.

As raw ecstasy gives way to agonized truths, their dark obsession exposes secrets that have been buried for far too long. Ian wants to tear down her walls and heal the sensual woman underneath. But if Veronica’s learned anything, it’s that the line between pleasure and pain is a narrow one—and when caught between them the only thing that matters is how you play the game.

I take picture after picture, with a vintage champagne glass in my hand or my face buried in a huge bouquet of dahlias. Toward the end, Marc has the stylist and his assistant wrap me up in a long string of artificial belladonna since the real stuff can cause problems if it touches the skin. Then they heap my gloved hands with a mountain of the poisonous black berries and Marc has me hold my hands out to the camera in a deadly macabre offering.

Again and again Marc shoots me like that, taking pictures from every possible angle. On his knees in front of me, looking up. From a ladder above me, looking down. Beside me. Behind me. Across the room. Up close. Again and again he points and clicks. Again and again, I smile and pout and make every other expression he asks for. I even take his suggestion to tilt my head back with my mouth open wide and hold one of the berries between my thumb and index finger as I pretend to be about to drop it in. As I do, I close my eyes and pretend not to be totally icked out.

When I open them two minutes and twenty shots later, the first person I see is Ian. He’s leaning back against one of the mirrored walls and for once his omnipresent notebook is nowhere to be seen. Instead he’s staring straight at me, a half-snarl on his normally calm face and his eyes burning with a mixture of contempt and desire.

It’s the first time I’ve seen anything but pleasant or puzzled interest from him and it has the tiny hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Has ice skating down my spine and a desert taking up residence in my mouth. Because, in that moment, as our eyes lock and his turn impossibly darker, impossibly blacker, I don’t know who he sees. Can’t tell who he wants.

Me or her?

Actress or murderer?

Sentient being or a character he helped create?

It’s just more fuel to add to the fire of my earlier doubts and in that one tense and electric moment, it comes to me. What the cover shot should be.

What I need it to be.

Marc backs off a little, has his assistant come forward with a trash bag for me to throw away the last of the berries and the gloves I’ve been wearing. As she pauses to tie up the bag in front of me, I ask her for a couple wipes.

She quickly returns with a box of baby wipes and I smile my thanks even as Marc instructs me back against the mirror for what he calls “the last series of shots.”

I do as he instructs, but as he’s fiddling with the lighting, I turn toward the mirror and swipe the wipe over the right half of my face.

“What are you doing?” my makeup artist squawks as he comes racing across the room at me.

“Trust me, Dalton,” I tell him as I continue to scrub.

“Stop doing that!” he orders as he grabs on to the end of the wipe and actually tries to wrestle it away from me.

“Just wait,” I instruct, refusing to let go no matter how hard he tugs.

“But—”

“What are you up to, Veronica?” Marc asks. He sounds more intrigued than annoyed.

“I’ll show you,” I tell him, pushing gently at Dalton’s hand until he finally lets go with a whimper.

And then, with the whole room—including Ian—watching me intently, I wipe the entire half side of my face clean of any and all makeup. I do it carefully, making sure that the line that runs down the center of my face is exact so that both sides are completely symmetrical.

When I’m done, I reach up and take off my right earring and hand it to Dalton who still looks slightly shell-shocked. Then I step back and stare at this new reflection of myself in the mirror.

Half me at my most natural, half her at her most armored, it’s a devastating look. Made even more so by the elaborate fifties makeup Dalton has me in—all red lips and thick black liner and long, long lashes.

There is a difference, I tell myself fiercely as I study myself. I am not her. I will never be her, no matter what it felt like four months ago.

In the background I’m aware of Marc cursing softly, of him snapping picture after picture. I don’t turn around, instead continuing to give him my back so that he gets both me and my reflection in each shot.

“Turn around,” he breathes after he’s taken at least three dozen pictures.

Reluctantly, I do as he requests, then follow his impatient gesture for me to move away from the mirror. I step forward and then the camera starts again, clicking away to get the shot from this angle as well.

At that moment, Ian moves and I make the mistake of glancing his way. Our gazes lock and heat slams through me at the look he’s giving me, has my eyes widening and my lips parting on a gasp as I struggle to draw air into lungs that have abruptly forgotten how to work.

I drag my eyes away from Ian, but it’s too late. For the first time in a very, very long time, I feel vulnerable. And I hate every second of it.

About Tracy Wolff:

​

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Tracy Wolff collects books, English degrees and lipsticks and has been known to forget where—and sometimes who—she is when immersed in a great novel. At six she wrote her first short story—something with a rainbow and a prince—and at seven she forayed into the wonderful world of girls lit with her first Judy Blume novel. By ten she’d read everything in the young adult and classics sections of her local bookstore, so in desperation her mom started her on romance novels. And from the first page of the first book, Tracy knew she’d found her life-long love. Now an English professor at her local community college, she writes romances that run the gamut from sweet contemporary to erotica, from paranormal to Urban Fantasy and from young adult to new adult.

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